If there was any doubt about Lionel Messi's legacy as one of the best footballers in history, a recent study conducted by the Spanish Research Center for Football History and Statistics named the Argentinean as the best player in La Liga.
The study, which based its findings on average minutes played, goals scored in open play or penalties, and even red cards or own goals, saw Messi emerge victorious with 545 points. The runner up was a Real Madrid player that is well-known for using number 7...Raúl González, with 528 points.
Research specialist José Antonio Ortega, who was in charge of this investigation, claimed that Messi's top spot was an obvious choice, especially because he's the only player to surpass the 300-goal mark in the Spanish top flight.
Other names featured in the Top Ten of this list are César (524 pts), Telmo Zarra (493), Quini (488), Juan Arza (481), Alfredo DiStefano (481), Paco Gento (467), Santillana (464) and Guillermo Gorostiza (454).
In case you were interested to know, Cristiano Ronaldo didn't make it even to the Top 15 spots, as he was ranked 17th with 415 points.
